By JARROD POTTER
RETURNING to the Victorian colours for another year has Killester College’s Rahni Samason “over the moon”.
With a wide array of netball commitments already scheduled for 2016, Samason, 17, is in the midst of a hectic summer preparing for April’s national championships in Perth.
Samason was one of 12 Victorian under-17s to make the cut, and she wasn’t any less excited the second time around getting another chance in the navy blue.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity, I’m overjoyed just being able to do it,” Samason said. “It’s such a great honour and privilege to represent my state again.
“It’s very interesting to see the best of each state battle it out – Victoria always are in really good shape and it’s great to have that competition.
“I just want to make sure I’m in the best shape I can be – so I’m the absolute best that I can and hopefully help my team take out the championship.”
Her state duties add yet another layer of netball complexity to her already jam-packed schedule.
She trained with the Australian under-17 team at Netball Australia’s Centre of Excellence in Canberra last May and that selection also earned her a scholarship for the Victorian Institute of Sport.
Samason also made the step up to the Championship Division in the VNL this season as she relished her time with the Southern Saints.
“I play Championship Division this year and the girls are all so lovely and Jane Searle, she’s the coach, she’s absolutely brilliant and always trying to help me,” Samason said.
When you add her training duties with the ANL Victorian Fury as well, her busy timetable has forced Samason to leave Doveton, where she has been a fixture for the last two seasons.
With all the commitments on her plate, the 2014 Casey Cardinia (now South East) A Grade MVP and premiership player had to make the tough choice to leave the Doves in favour of her neighbourhood side Heatherton.
“Everything is happening now all at once, all these other netball commitments made it extremely difficult to play at Doveton, with travel as I have brothers who play sport as well,” Samason said.
“Trying to tie it all in was pretty difficult and my parents can’t be everywhere at once and Heatherton is within walking distance for me.”
Samason wanted to thank her parents and family for their unwavering support of her netball ambitions.
